Trisomy 13

At 33 weeks, my uterus was all of the sudden measuring 4 weeks ahead. We scheduled an ultrasound to make sure baby was still doing okay.

At 34 weeks, the ultrasound revealed that our baby was measuring 2 weeks behind and that I was retaining massive amounts of fluid. We were referred to a high risk doctor. 

At 35 weeks, a detailed ultrasound revealed that baby has a severe heart defect, it is rotated and only has 2 chambers instead of 4 and the dividing wall has a hole in it. The scan also revealed that the majority of his left ventricle of his brain is fluid instead of brain matter, and that the back portion of his brain never developed and instead the space is filled with more fluid. My amniotic fluid level is more than 3x the normal limit.

At 36 weeks, my blood results confirmed that our baby has Trisomy 13 and in combination with his heart and brain defects, he has a slim chance of surviving delivery. If he does, we will only have a few hours with him at most. 

The trauma of labor and passing through the birth canal would likely kill him so in 2 weeks, our baby boy will be delivered via scheduled c-section at 38 weeks. We have decided we will not medically intervene, but just give him a name and a blessing and hold him until he returns to our Heavenly Father- hopefully quickly and peacefully. 

I never knew how much emotional pain I could endure until now. I regret every complaint I've ever had about pregnancy. I never expected that these short 9 months of pregnancy would be the only time that I get with my baby boy. Every nauseous moment, every projectile vomit, every dizzy spell, every stretch mark, every pimple, every swollen limb, every sleepless night: they are all worth it. I feel that I've been through Hell in these past few weeks and this is just the beginning. A piece of my soul will be buried with my son. 

Please mamas, enjoy your pregnancies. Cherish the kick counts and keep in perspective that you are chosen for motherhood. We are all warriors. May you all be blessed with healthy sons and daughters. Farewell July mamas ❤️